The Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled a new $4.5 million pilot program to provide free legal services to farmworkers involved in state labor investigations.
The program includes case review services, legal advice and representation by an attorney, all at no cost to farmworkers seeking assistance.
“Farmworkers are the backbone of our economy and we will not stand idly by while bad actors use the threat of deportation as a form of exploitation. Absent Congress modernizing our broken and outdated immigration system, California continues our efforts to support immigrant families," Newsom said.
An estimated 50 percent of farmworkers in California are undocumented, while fear of retaliation from bad employers, including the threat of deportation and difficulty obtaining other jobs without work authorization, has become a common reason many workers in the agricultural industry fail to file labor claims or provide witness information.
This new pilot program seeks to prevent the exploitation of undocumented farmworkers by providing additional tools for California labor enforcement departments to help address workers' fears of exercising their rights due to their immigration status.
“Now is the time for us to make sure that the labor rights of immigrants are upheld and upheld. We commend the state for supporting this pilot, which will help ensure legal services are available and accessible through partnerships with trusted community organizations throughout California,” said Maria Elena De La Garza, Executive Director of the Santa Cruz County Community Action Board.
"The Santa Cruz County Community Action Board is committed to improving the employment rights of immigrants so that all families can continue to prosper," he added.
For her part, Diana Tellefson Torres, executive director of the UFW Foundation, stressed that "procedural discretion guarantees that farmworkers will be empowered to assert their labor rights and stand up to the abuse and exploitation they often face."
He also stressed that undocumented farmworkers, who make up such a large and essential portion of the country's workforce, must be able to assert their rights without the threat of immigration retaliation.
In addition, he explained that “it is of the utmost importance that undocumented workers have access to free and low-cost legal services, so that any farmworker who has experienced workplace violations can come forward knowing that they are protected from deportation. We are excited about the new pilot program and look forward to working with Governor Newsom to make it a success."
Services will not be limited by a person's immigration status. To be eligible, cases must be under review by the Department of Industrial Relations' Office of the Labor Commissioner, Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or the Agricultural Labor Relations Board. Legal service providers will be available based on farmworker population estimates and provider capacity.
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